In the fast-moving world of technology, many leaders are measured by the products they ship or the revenues they generate. For Sohini Mallick, Managing Director of RudraX, those metrics are secondary. Her entrepreneurial journey has been built on a different foundation: integrity, intent, and a deep sense of human connection.
Sohini is not just building companies; she’s building ecosystems of people who grow into leaders, challenge the status quo, and create work that resonates far beyond the office walls. For her, success is not merely about closing deals or launching platforms; it’s about seeing others rise. She finds fulfillment in watching her team members step into roles they once felt unprepared for, in creating products that improve lives, and in ensuring that every client feels truly understood.
To her, the measure of a great leader is not in how many decisions they make, but in how many they empower others to make. “If I can help others lead with clarity, build with intent, and stay human in a world that often forgets to be, I’ll consider that a legacy worth leaving,” Sohini says. And in the culture, she fosters, initiative is prized, not permission-seeking. The goal is to build environments where good people can do their best work and where the impact ripples outward into communities and industries alike.
The Foundational Chapter
When asked about the turning point that defined her career, Sohini pauses. Not because she’s searching for the right words, but because there isn’t just one. Her trajectory, she explains, is the result of many intentional decisions, each one layering onto the last, shaping the leader she has become.
Among those layers, her time at Target stands as one of the “most foundational chapters” of her journey. The lessons learned there about excellence, autonomy, and innovation still guide her thinking today. Surrounded by leaders who operated with both precision and imagination, she absorbed a dual lesson: how to execute flawlessly within existing systems, and when to push past them to challenge convention.
What struck her most was the culture. At Target, there was no micromanagement. Instead, every employee was encouraged to think like a mini-CEO, taking ownership of their work from start to finish. That ethos clicked with her immediately. She learned to value autonomy, to embrace accountability, and to treat ownership not as a burden but as a privilege.
Her years there were also defined by creativity in action. Hackathons were not just side projects; they were breeding grounds for ideas that often reached a global scale. “I absorbed everything I could, and I still continue to learn from the amazing people who worked at Target,” she recalls.
Today, whether it’s Optimally-Me, RudraX, or JustBid, she finds herself in the position once held by those leaders she admired. She is now the one building the systems, processes, and cultures that others will thrive in. “And I am lucky to have met and hired leaders who resonate deeply with that same philosophy,” she says. Her tech teams are more than coders; they are problem-solvers who own their work, challenge assumptions, and refine products relentlessly.
Dealing with Challenges and Lessons Learned
In the startup world, challenges often arrive dressed as technical puzzles to solve or markets to capture. But Sohini has faced something more intricate: Managing circular client relationships. In one case, a client was also a service provider to another one of RudraX’s clients, creating a delicate loop of interdependencies, expectations, and shifting priorities.
Breaking that loop required more than technical skill. It called for diplomacy, transparency, and leadership that could balance competing interests without compromising trust. “We leaned into radical transparency, prioritised direct and open communication, and made sure everyone was grounded in shared outcomes,” she explains. The experience left her with a lasting insight: “While ‘move fast’ is a great startup mantra, there is also something to be said for moving with preparedness.”
Early in RudraX’s life, momentum was everything. Projects were delivered at speed, trust was built quickly, and the team moved with purpose. But Sohini soon realized that constant forward motion, without moments to pause and reinforce the foundation, could be a risk. “It’s easy to get swept up in momentum, but I don’t want us to end up like the hare in the tortoise and the hare story—rushing ahead, only to burn out or miss something critical,” she says.
The shift was deliberate. RudraX began focusing inward by strengthening operational maturity, refining systems, and ensuring the internal structure could carry the weight of growing expectations. “It is time to build internal strength, operational maturity, and the systems that will carry the weight of what others are placing on our shoulders,” she says. “That is the only way we scale with integrity.”
Future-Facing Projects Across Companies
Sohini feels fortunate that she is working on several “future-facing projects” across their companies, and each one is “setting a benchmark” in its own space.
Each venture represents a distinct vision, yet they are united by a shared ambition: to redefine industries before the future arrives.
One such venture is JustBid, an AI-powered recommerce platform that reimagines the very nature of consumption. Rather than focusing on ownership as the end goal, JustBid champions the idea of shared usage, a shift that encourages users to buy, sell, rent, or auction both physical and digital goods in a way that minimizes waste. The platform is engineered to reduce friction in the process, making sustainability a seamless choice rather than an afterthought. As Sohini explains, a user need only scan a product and let the AI handle the rest, which is automatically filling in specifications, pricing, and categories. “It’s built for ease, sustainability, and community impact,” she notes, highlighting how the technology removes barriers that often prevent people from engaging in circular commerce.
Meanwhile, over at RudraX, Sohini and her team are deep into the development of a technically complex project that blends blockchain mining infrastructure with AI-driven resource optimization. The client’s ambitious vision involves embedding Web 3.0 technologies into the rhythms of everyday life — from automated mining strategies to predictive energy consumption. It’s a project that requires orchestrating decentralized systems while simultaneously building dynamic data models capable of adapting in real time. For Sohini, it’s a perfect example of technology acting as both a functional tool and a structural shift, capable of transforming entire operational models.
The third venture, Optimally-Me, turns its attention to the healthcare sector — specifically, how people think about their own health. Instead of the conventional, reactive approach of “go to a GP when something feels wrong,” Optimally-Me advocates for an integrative, personalized, and preventive model. Its goal is to empower individuals to “track, understand, and act before anything goes wrong,” fostering a culture of proactive wellbeing rather than crisis management.
Across these three very different companies, Sohini sees a clear throughline. “Across all three companies, one thread runs through everything: we build for what’s next — not just what’s now,” she says. It’s a statement that sums up both her philosophy and her professional trajectory; always a step ahead, shaping the future before it’s fully visible.
RudraX Achievement: The Culture
While RudraX has built a reputation for making high-quality technology development fast, affordable, and accessible, for Sohini, the true victory lies in the team and culture that have been shaped from the ground up.
When RudraX began, there was no brand recognition, no generous pool of funding, and little external backing. All they had was a bold vision and an unshakable belief. That belief in trust, ownership, creativity, and long-term thinking became the blueprint for the company’s DNA. It wasn’t about chasing the market; it was about building a space where the right kind of people could do the best work of their lives.
“Today, I look around and see a team that doesn’t wait for instructions,” Sohini reflects. “They question decisions, bring forward ideas, challenge each other, and take full ownership of what they build. And they do it all with a level of care and maturity that’s rare, especially in early-stage teams.”
Inside RudraX, the hierarchy doesn’t muzzle ideas. A tester can question the CEO. Junior engineers, from their very first day, face clients directly. And every individual, not just the managers, is expected to think in terms of long-term product value and impact. For Sohini, that’s the quiet revolution: “We didn’t just build a tech company. We built a culture where good people grow fast, lead boldly, and build things that matter.”
Thriving in Uncertainty
If there’s a place where most founders flinch, it’s uncertainty. For Sohini, it’s home turf. “In my experience, uncertainty isn’t something to fear,” she says. “It’s where the best outcomes often begin.”
Across RudraX, JustBid, and Optimally-Me, her track record is marked by projects that, at inception, seemed nearly impossible. But that’s the point, the impossibility is what makes them worth chasing. For Sohini, the absence of a clear answer isn’t a reason to step back; it’s an invitation to step in.
She likens it to driving on a foggy road at night — you can’t see the whole route, only as far as your headlights reach. The only way forward is one measured step at a time, staying focused, steady, and deliberate. That approach, she says, is what allows her to navigate complexity without panic.
The mindset crystallized during her time at Oxford, where she learned that uncertainty isn’t a disadvantage; it’s a proving ground. It’s where real leadership emerges: the ability to hold steady in ambiguity, to ask sharper questions, and to center yourself when others unravel. Over time, she’s built her own internal compass for these moments: identifying what she knows for sure, defining the non-negotiables, and surrounding herself with strong, grounded people who challenge and refine her instincts.
Proudest Moment: Quiet, Personal Realization
For Sohini, her proudest moment is a quiet, personal realization: she had built something from nothing and brought people along with her on the journey. This feeling means more to her than any applause or public recognition.
When she founded RudraX, she had no safety net or guarantee. All she had was a vision, some belief, and the determination to work hard. Then, one day, she saw a team of courageous, thoughtful people. They were building together, growing faster than she had ever imagined, and leading parts of the company with pride and ownership.
“That was the moment I felt proud — not just because of what we were building, but because of how we were building it,” Sohini says. What made it even more meaningful to her was seeing people who once doubted themselves step into leadership roles, challenge assumptions, and begin mentoring others. “That ripple effect — that cultural compounding — is what I’m most proud of,” Sohini says.
Outside the business, she is proud of being accepted at Oxford. For her, seeing her parents proud, building long-term friendships through work, and seeing her ideas make their way into products that touch real people’s lives are major achievements as well.
“All of that comes back to one thing: believing in something before the world does, and building it with heart,” Sohini says.
Agility and Future Ready
Under Sohini’s leadership, RudraX stays future-ready by being deeply present. This means listening constantly to clients, to market shifts, and to the instincts of its builders. The company remains intentionally lean and modular, a design choice that keeps it nimble enough to adapt quickly and resistant to the rigidity that can slow innovation.
“We believe in releasing fast, gathering feedback, and iterating with purpose,” Sohini says. “It’s less about ‘getting it perfect’ and more about staying relevant and valuable in real time.” For her, agility also means knowing what not to change.
She draws an analogy from her Indian roots: some traditions hold timeless wisdom and deserve to be preserved; others need to be questioned, challenged, and sometimes left behind. The same principle applies at RudraX by keeping what is meaningful and discarding what is merely comfortable.
Foundational principles such as trust, ownership, ethical technology, and human-first design are non-negotiables in her book. She believes these values will still hold true fifty years from now. At the same time, she works to shed outdated practices, even if they once delivered results.
This philosophy extends to team dynamics as well. RudraX fosters cross-functional thinking, like having designers who understand data, engineers who think like product managers, and a culture where anyone can speak up, take risks, and rethink established norms. “That’s where true agility comes from,” Sohini says. “Not just structure or speed, but mindset. We’re not chasing trends. We’re evolving with purpose, guided by principles that will stand the test of time.”
Advice for Aspiring Women Leaders
Sohini advises aspiring women leaders to find purpose and passion in their work and in everything they do. She says, “when you’re clear on your why, it becomes easier to silence the noise, focus your energy, and move forward with conviction.”
She also encourages them to learn to protect their perspectives. She notes that most women, particularly Asian women, are taught not to say “no.” “But in leadership, your ability to set boundaries, say ‘no’ gracefully, and stand tall in your beliefs is what will earn you respect and peace,” she says. “You don’t have to be aggressive, you just have to be clear, calm, and firm.”
Remember Me By
Sohini hopes to be remembered for building products with integrity, courage, and care for the people involved. She envisions her legacy as proving that someone can build ambitious, scalable tech without losing their soul in the process. “That you can be relentless in execution and still deeply human in your leadership,” Sohini says.
She wants to set an example for the next generation: showing that one does not need to fit a mold to lead and have their own version of success on their own terms. “I also hope people look at RudraX, JustBid, and Optimally-Me not just as companies, but as ecosystems where bold ideas came to life, where teams grew into families, and where leadership was distributed, not hoarded,” Sohini says.
